A Veteran's Iraq Message Upsets Army Recruiters

From the NY Times:

A Veteran's Iraq Message Upsets Army Recruiters

By MONICA DAVEY
Published: December 27, 2005


DULUTH, Minn., Dec. 21 - As those thinking of becoming soldiers arrive on the slushy doorstep of the Army recruiting station here, they cannot miss the message posted in bold black letters on the storefront right next door.

"Remember the Fallen Heroes," the sign reads, and then it ticks off numbers - the number of American troops killed in Iraq, the number wounded, the number of days gone by since this war began.

The sign, put up by a former soldier, has stirred intense, though always polite, debate in this city along the edge of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. In a way, many of the nation's vast and complicated arguments about war are playing out on a single block here, around a simple piece of wood.

The seven military recruiters here, six of whom have themselves served in Iraq, want the sign taken away. "It's disheartening," Staff Sgt. Gary J. Capan, the station's commander, said. "Everyone knows that people are dying in Iraq, but to walk past this on the way to work every day is too much."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/27/national/27duluth.html?ex=1293339600&en=e8c1e19f7691dc10&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Quite so.

Why do they object to the truth? Are they afraid they will not be able to spin their lies to get recruits? And before anyone jumps on me for my anti recruiter comment: They worked on my nephew for the last two years in his high school and we knew nothing about it. He leaves January 25 for basic training. Enough said.

"... but to walk past this on the way to work every day is too much."

I'm sure the pain suffered by the families of these soldiers is worse than too much and taking away some damn sign won't end their misery. Out of sight is NOT out of mind for them.

I say, live with it! Horrifying, isn't it? If you can't live with the guilt that you are recruiting people to go to a senseless war, then you need to find different work.

I say, there should be a ticker sign like that here at DU. I say, there should be a ticker sign like that on every major highway in the US and in a bottom corner of every news program.

Thank you.

There are many vets coming back now, and they all saw the same situation.

And it sure wasn't like CNN or anybody really reported it. For a fact, there will be no war brides this time.

I am not a bleeding heart, I don't think. Sometimes, rarely, war really is necessary. It was in 1941. It could be in the future.

But I also know, this war was just stupid. Worse than stupid - dangerous.

You know, it is a problem with career military - they just can't lose anything. They just don't understand - sometimes it is better to lose a battle to win a war.

The same thing that makes our parents (and grandparents) so great - is they knew the difference.

We really may have to do a real war one day. All we accomplished in Iraq is to expose our weak points. In my mind, that is the truest charge B*sh has to answer to. It is worse than war for no good reason, and I didn't think that was even possible.

Good post.

Joe